1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus for performing data communication with a peripheral device, and a method applicable to the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
People who work for newspaper and book publishers or people who work in the construction industry need means to speedily process photographs captured at a job site or obtained or generated documents or information and to share the information with other users. This may be implemented using a mobile terminal, such as a notebook personal computer (PC), to upload the information to a document management service (application service provider (ASP)) via the Internet so that the information may be shared among the users. Alternatively, a method of sending an email message with the information attached thereto has been discussed. However, the users do not necessarily carry information devices for implementing the above scheme. Since companies are taking more robust security measures, the users may not be permitted to carry information devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), which have communication capability via the Internet, for fear of leaking information.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-33406 provides an exemplary solution to the above-described problem.
This patent document will now be described below. A paper document serving as an obtained or generated material is scanned by a multifunction peripheral (MFP) device. A list of scanned images is displayed on an operation panel. On the operation panel, a user selects a page(s) to send via email. The user adds a comment serving as information regarding the selected data. The MFP device adds the scanned image(s) to an email message and sends the email message to a PC or a cellular phone of another user with whom the user wants to share the information. In other words, the patent document describes the technique of combining a character string entered via the operation panel of the MFP device or a cellular phone with data scanned by the MFP device and sending the combined data from the MFP device.
In order to send data, the MFP device must attach the data to an email message. In the case that an email attachment protocol is used, the sending process is highly likely to be restricted according to the file size. In addition, the email destination and comment need to be entered from or saved in the cellular phone or entered from the MFP device. The comment must be entered using keys that are difficult to press. In short, the above scheme requires many preconditions. In the case that the receiver of the email message wants to share the file attached to the email message with a client PC or with many other users, the receiver must re-save the file in a document management apparatus. The receiver must save a necessary comment as additional index information.